Answer

The unicorn was easy to track. It was dragging one of its hind legs, leaving long furrows in the ground. The Brothers were even easier to track - they made no effort to hide their boot prints, or the other signs that they had plowed through the forest.

There was another scream, a high pitched wail that sounded to Jennsen like the cry of a child.

They slowed, remaining under cover of the tree line.

A group of men with shaved heads, all wearing monk robes stood in a circle around the most horrible, and beautiful thing any of them had ever seen.

Beautiful, because surrounded by the monks stood a unicorn. Its fur was white and appeared to almost glow in the light. It was thin, its body more like that of a deer than a horse. Its tail was like that of a lion, a tuft of white hair at the end, its hooves were cloven, like a goat.

Only its head was truly formed like that of a horse, and the most magnificent horse imaginable, with eyes a liquid, shiny black.

The horn rose in a spiral to a wicked point, pearlescent like the inside of a sea shell.

Horrible, because an arrow stuck out of the unicorn's left flank, bright red blood staining white fur. More red coated that magnificent horn, white, foamy sweat dripping from the creature's sides.

One of the monks held his arm. The unicorn had gored him.

Before Richard could form a plan, an arrow whizzed by his head to strike one of the Brothers in the throat, quickly followed by another. It took down another of the monks, this time going straight through the eye.

Whirling, Richard saw Haden staring coolly down the shaft of yet another arrow as she sighted for another shot.

But the monks knew where they were now, advancing in the direction Haden had fired from.

Richard exploded from the woods, sword blazing in his hand as he cut down the first man advancing on them. It was too easy, the monks were no warriors - merely zealots with weapons.

Seeing his help wasn't needed, Zedd ignored the fight altogether, making his way to the unicorn, hands held out to show he meant no harm.

Haden wounded another monk with an arrow to the chest, then drew her Agiel to finish the job. The Confessor got there first, her hand around his throat as her eyes swirled black.

Richard killed the two remaining monks, one on the upswing, one on the backswing, disgusted at how easy it was to end their lives.

"Command me, Confessor."

"Why were you trying to kill this creature?"

"Because it's evil. Tyrn says all magic is evil."

Startled, Kahlan asked, "Why?"

"Because those who have it got it unnaturally. They are aspiring to be gods. It is blasphemous."

"And the unicorn?"

"It is an unnatural creature made by witches and demons. It hunts good virgin women."

"Like," Richard intervened, "the one you used to lure it here?"

"Freya Kate," The monk answered after Kahlan indicated he should, "is the Virgin Mother. Tyrn chose her to bring his children into the world. She is very pure, but not as pure and good as you, mistress."

He sputtered, blood leaking from his lips as he wheezed.

"The arrow punctured his lung," Haden volunteered. "He's drowning."

"Are you finished?" she asked, looking at Richard.

He looked at Kahlan, who nodded. He signaled to Haden, who drew her Agiel, its hum contrasting to the wheeze of the monk's breathing.

"Wait!" Jennsen shouted before the Agiel plunged down.

Richard looked pained, Kahlan impatient, but Haden met Jennsen's eyes, one eyebrow raised in question.

"How did you know where to look for the unicorn? And are you hunting other creatures like this?"

Pleasantly surprised, Haden turned back to the monk as the Confessor ordered him to answer Jennsen's questions.

Yellow foam fizzed from his mouth, his eyes rolling white in his head as he convulsed.

"Magic," Haden spat, the remnants of the death spell tingling her senses.

"Excuse me," Zedd called, forgotten in the midst of the fight.

The unicorn had backed him against a tree, its horn aimed at a very... sensitive place.

"In my rush to aid this wonderful creature, I forgot that they take exception to being near those that are... less than virginal."

Haden and Richard both took a step back, knowing that they had no hope of helping lest they end up being menaced just as Zedd was.

Kahlan approached the unicorn, cooing softly under her breath. The unicorn's ears perked up, some of the tension leaving its body as it turned its back on Zedd, burying its muzzle in Kahlan's chest.

The sense of peace, the wonder, that rolled from its downy white fur was so profound that it brought tears to Kahlan's eyes.

"Jennsen," she called, "if I keep her calm, can you pull the arrow out?"

Jennsen hesitated, but then cautiously moved forward, thinking maybe, probably, that one time didn't count.

As soon as she got within three feet of the creature, the unicorn whirled, teeth bared in warning.

Jennsen backed away, face flaming as four pairs of surprised eyes fixed themselves on her.

"What?" she asked, indignant.

Haden smiled.

-l-

Cara had worked all day to replace the colored stones marking the map in her - no, Lord Rahl's - work room. Instead of different colors for the villages, monks, deaths, and creatures, she had gone back through all of the reports and coded the occurrences by time.

What she found made a great deal of disturbing sense.

A colored wave spread over her map, arcing toward D'Hara, neatly cutting it off from Aydindril, the other great power of the Midlands.

First came the monks, followed by the wolves, then her warriors turned up dead or missing, and finally, villages refused to swear.

Alone in the chamber, Cara allowed herself a moment of weakness, leaning forward to rest her face in her hands.

She needed Darken, whole and healthy. She was overwhelmed.

She straightened, pushing her too long, yet too short, hair away from her forehead as her hands came to rest on her abdomen.

She needed sleep.

But she did not have time.


Ace of Hadeon has done another wonderful set of comics for this fic. The link is on my profile page!